This invention relates generally to a bearing and a method of seating a bearing and more particularly, to a method of seating nylon bearings for use in chair controls for tilter chairs.
In the past, bearings have been produced of different materials and are used to support, guide and restrain moving elements an generally denote that part of a substance which transmits the loads to the supports. A large variety of metals may be used as bearing metals including babbitt (a tin-base alloy containing antimony and copper), white metal bearing alloys, high tin bronze, leader copper, cadmium base alloys, cast iron, silver and various jewels.
An example of the use of a conventional bearing may be seen in the chair control for tilter chairs of the prior art. A typical control of the prior art comprises, inter alia, a movable frame portion attached to the seat of the chair and a fixed frame portion attached to a chair post and a biasing means yieldably interconnecting the two frames. One example of the biasing means comprises a bolt inserted through the fixed frame portion, a spring mechanism affixed to the free end of the bolt with a pressure plate engaging the spring and the fixed frame portion. Two bearings are fastened on opposite sides of the pressure plate and engage corresponding slots in the fixed frame portion or the bearings may be fastened on the sides of the frame portion and correspond to slits in the pressure plate.
The method of seating of bearings of the prior art may vary according to the use for which the bearing is designed and also the particular material from which it is manufactured. However, all the known methods involve manual insertion, manual welding or similar methods.
The thrust bearings used in chair controls of the prior art as hereinbefore described have been seated by inserting a pin through the support and placing a bearing on the pin. This involves the manufacture of a pin, a bearing and the steps of inserting the pin through the support and then inserting the bearing on the pin. The assembly of these pieces had to be exact and the tolerances perfect in order that once seated, neither the pin nor the bearing would rotate. This has proved to be a rather expensive and time consuming process.